SENTENCE TYPES

Sentences can be classified in different ways depending upon their function and
structure. This section discusses types of sentences according to their structure.

1. Simple Sentences
Simple sentences contain one independent clause and any number of phrases and
single-word modifiers.
• An independent clause contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone
as a subject.
a) Simple Subject & Simple Predicate
 My brother has come.
 Hana is a clever nurse.

b) Compound Subject & Simple Predicate

 Dogs, wolves and foxes belong to the Canidae family.
 Neither Abebe nor his friends have come to the party.
c) Simple Subject & Compound Predicate
 Girmay came home and had his dinner with me.
 Hellen will wash the dishes, clean the room, and cook dinner.

d) Compound Subject & Compound Predicate

 Abdi and Kemal came home and ate lunch.
 The boys and the girls stood and cheered.

2. Compound Sentences
A compound sentence consists of two (sometimes more) independent clauses connected
with a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, yet, so) or a conjunctive
adverb such as moreover, thus, therefore, consequently, indeed, moreover, furthermore.

• A comma (,) comes before the conjunction in a compound sentence.

• The coordinating conjunction shows the relationship between the two
independent clauses of the sentence.

Here are examples of compound sentences with different coordinating conjunctions.

▪ I’m heading for Guder tonight, and I won’t be back for a month.
▪ I’m heading for Guder tonight, so I won’t be seeing you for a month.
▪ I’m heading for Guder tonight, but I’ll come right back.
▪ Roba is a clever student, yet he could be doing even better.
▪ Roba is a clever student, so we expect him to score ‘A’ in all subjects.
▪ Roba is a clever student, for he studies hard and grasps concepts well.

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▪ We could call a taxi to get us, or we could walk sixteen blocks to the restaurant.
3. Complex Sentences
A complex sentence consists of an independent clause and one or more dependent
clauses. Dependent clauses usually begin with subordinating conjunctions or relative
pronouns (who, whose, which, that, whom). Common subordinating conjunctions are:

after till although since unless

as as if because before if
so as so far as so that though until
when whenever whereas while

• The dependent clause (beginning with the subordinating conjunction) may

either begin the sentence or end it, depending on what clause the writer
wants to emphasize. When the dependent clause begins a sentence, a comma
is placed after it.
Examples:
▪ While you were out running around town, I was home taking care of your
chores. (Comma after dependent clause)
▪ I was home taking care of your chores while you were out running around town.
(No comma – dependent clause ends sentence)
4. Compound-Complex Sentences
Compound - complex sentences contain at least one dependent clause and more than
one independent clause. The clauses are connected by both conjunctions (i.e., but, so,
and, etc.) and subordinators (i.e., who, because, although, etc.)
Examples
 John, who briefly visited last month, won the prize, and he took a short vacation.
 Jack forgot his friend's birthday, so he sent him a card when he finally
remembered.
 The report which Tom complied was presented to the board, but it was rejected
because it was too complex.

Activity 1
For each of the following sentences, choose a conjunction to connect the two clauses, and
write your choice in the blank. Hint: Use each word only once.

if while because although since

and however therefore but moreover

1. The governor signed the warrant, _____therefore______ the man’s execution was
scheduled.

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2. The lawyer petitioned the Supreme Court, ____but______ none of the judges
would order a stay.
3. The prisoner had been given the death sentence _________because_____
hemurdered
had a traveling companion.
4. His mother had worked hard to get a stay of execution _____moreovr_______
son waited in prison.
___ her
5. She said her prayers would be answered ______if_________ the death
sentences
were commuted to life imprisonment.
6. She was concerned for her son’s life; _____moreover_________, she didn’t
believe in the death penalty for anyone.
7. Proponents of the stay understood that the man had been convicted of a serious
crime; ___________________, they couldn’t countenance the state’s right to take
his life.
8. Advocates of the execution claimed that he knew the penalty before he
committed the crime; ___________________, he should be executed.
9. ________since__________ the case had come to trial, there had been a
continuous
debate over the issue.
10. ____since_____________ I cannot condone his crime, I cannot be a party
to the
decision to kill him.

2. IDENTIFYING & CORRECTING FAULTY SENTENCES

1. SENTENCE FRAGMENTS

The minimum sentence in written English consists of a subject and a verb. Strings of
words that either do not have a subject or do not have a verb are called fragments and
must be corrected. Another kind of fragment is a dependent clause that is not connected
to an independent clause. Look at these fragments:
1. Because I needed to buy milk.
2. John singing in the shower.
3. Dancing and laughing on our way home from the party.
4. For example, a computer.
Fragments should never be used in academic writing. Here are some ways to correct the
preceding fragments.

1 “Because I needed to buy milk” is a dependent clause. A dependent clause

must be connected to an independent clause. You, the writer, must decide
whether it should be connected to the sentence in front of it or the sentence
after it, possible corrections are:

Because I needed to buy milk, I went to the store.

OR

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I went to the store because I needed to buy milk.

2 In “John singing in the shower,” ‘singing’ is a form of a verb, but it does not
have a tense. There are three forms of a verb in English that do not have
tense: the present participle, the past participle, and the infinitive. ‘Singing’ is
the present participle of the verb ‘sing’. To make this fragment into a
sentence, you need to change the present participle to a verb with a tense.
Possible corrections are

John was singing in the shower.

OR
John sings in the shower.

3 “Dancing and laughing on our way home from the party” is a fragment
because it does not have a subject. In addition, the verbs are present
participles. Possible corrections are:
We were dancing and laughing on our way home from the party.
OR

We danced and laughed on our way home from the party.

OR
Dancing and laughing on our way home from the party, we woke up all
the neighbors.
4 “For example, a computer” has only a noun phrase (a computer) and no verb.
You need to add a verb and decide if the noun phrase is the subject or object
of the sentence. Possible corrections are:

For example, a computer is useful for writing papers.

OR
For example, I think having a computer is useful.

Activity 1 Identifying Fragments

This paragraph has five fragments. Find them and correct them.

The History of Baseball

Modern baseball has an interesting history. Actually started out in England as a
game called rounders. It made its way to North America and was largely played in
rural areas. By 1830, most urban and rural area teams that played together, but there
were still no official rules or even a standard plying area. When a group in New
York City published a book in 1845. It gave baseball twenty rules, two teams of nine
players each and defined the playing field. Simply called the New York game. Its
popularity continued to grow, and during the Civil War in the 1860s, the Yankee

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soldiers spread the game throughout the country. By the end of the 1860s. The name
had changed to baseball and it looked very much like the game we know today.

2.RUN-ON SENTENCES
Another common punctuation problem is a run-on sentence. In run-on sentences, two or
more independent clauses follow each other without any punctuation. Look at this
example of a run-on sentence:

Cutting down the rain forests leads to the extinction of plants and animals their
habitats are destroyed.

There are three common ways to correct run-on sentences:

1. Make two separate sentences.
Cutting down the rain forests leads to the extinction of plants and animals.
Their habitats are destroyed.

2. Add extra works.

When their habitats are destroyed due to cutting down the rain forests, many
plants and animals become extinct.

3. Add a subordinating conjunction.

Cutting down the rain forests leads to the extinction of plants and animals
because their habitats are destroyed.

Activity 2 Adding Necessary punctuation

The following paragraph has no punctuation. Correct it by adding capital letters, commas,
semicolons, and periods. (Hint: There are six complete sentences in the paragraph.)

Cities can grow in an organic way or in a planned way organic cities are usually
older cities they are called organic because they have spread in different directions
with no precise plan except to accommodate the growing population on the other
hand the modern planned cities are sometimes designed before they are even
really established in a such a plan careful attention is paid to the amount of
residential and commercial spaces in short there are two types of city growth.

3. COMMA SPLICES
A common punctuation problem is a comma splice. A comma splice is an error that
occurs when a comma by itself is used between two independent clauses. A comma is
correct between two independent clauses, but only when it is followed by a coordinating
conjunction. Look at this example sentence with a comma splice:

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My dad hung a bird feeder in the backyard, he loves to watch the birds eat from
it.
There are four common ways to correct comma splices:
1. Put a period in the place of the comma and capitalize the first word of the next
sentence.
My dad hung a bird feeder in the backyard. He loves to watch the birds
eat from it.
2. Put a semicolon in the place of the comma.
My dad hung a bird feeder in the backyard; he loves to watch the birds
eat from it.
3. Insert a coordinating conjunction.
My dad hung a bird feeder in the backyard, and he loves to watch the
birds eat from it.
4. Change one of the clauses into a dependent clause by starting it with a
subordinating conjunction.
Since my dad hung a bird feeder in the backyard, he loves to watch the
birds eat from it.
Activity3 Correcting Comma Splices
This paragraph has four comma splices. Find them and correct them. Try to use each of the four
ways explained above.
Planting Roses
Planting roses is easy if you follow these steps. First you need to measure the
diameter of the roots, next you must dig a hole twice as big as that diameter. This
hole should be so deep that the roots have plenty of room to grow. Mix some rose
fertilizer with the soil at the bottom of the hole, this is to help the rose to flower
later. The next step is to form a little hill in the middle of the hole, you are going to
spread out the roots over the top of this hill. Hold the rose firmly with one hand
and spread out the roots with your other hand. Be careful not to break the roots,
they are quite delicate. While you are holding the plant with one hand, pat the soil
down gently around the roots. Continue putting soil over the roots until the area
around the plant is filled up to a level a little lower than the soil level around it.
Finally, water your plant thoroughly. With enough water and some sunshine, you
should see your rose plant begin to grow leaves in a few weeks.
4. MISPLACED MODIFIERS
When words or phrases modify the wrong word or seem to modify more than one word
in a sentence, they are called misplaced modifiers. To correct a sentence with a
misplaced modifier, move the modifier as close as possible to the word it modifies.

Examples:
MISPLACED

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Leaves floated gently down onto the lawn with dazzling autumn colors. (Prepositional
phrase incorrectly modifying lawn)

CLEAR
Leaves with dazzling autumn colors floated gently down onto the lawn. (Prepositional
phrase correctly modifying leaves)

MISPLACED
The big truck just missed a cat roaring down the road. (Participial phrase incorrectly
modifying cat)
CLEAR
Roaring down the road, the big truck just missed a cat. (Participial phrase correctly
modifying truck)

Activity 4
Rewrite each sentence correctly by moving the underlined modifier to an appropriate position in
the sentence.

1. The swimmers on deck with black and white bathing suits are all on the same swim
team.
2. Officials must dress in white uniforms judging the performance of the swimmers.
3. The champion backstroker stormed out of the complex being disqualified.
4. Spectators crowded into the stands carrying lunch bags and portable seats.
5. The authorities requested additional timers making an unusual announcement.
6. The swim team had practiced hard and long for the meet with the best record.
7. Swimmers congregated around the pool with a tense of excitement.
8. Standing on the blocks, the first racers waited for the sound of the starting pistol
with intensity on their faces.
9. Medals were given to the winners with the race and time written on the back.
10. One swimmer accidentally pushed an official into the pool paying no attention to
where he was going.

5. DANGLING MODIFIERS
A dangling modifier does not logically modify any word in the sentence in which it
appears. Correct a dangling modifier by supplying a word that can be modified by the
dangling phrase.

Dangling Correct
Shaving in front of a steamy mirror, the Shaving in front of the steamy mirror, Ali
razor nicked Ali's chin. nicked his chin with the razor.
(Who was shaving in front of the mirror? Or: When Ali was shaving in front of the

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The answer is not razor but Ali. The steamy mirror, he nicked his chin with
subject Ali must be added.) the razor.

While turning over the bacon, hot While I was turning over the bacon, hot
grease splashed my arm. grease splashed my arm.
(Who is turning over the bacon? The Or: While turning over the bacon, I was
answer is not hot grease, as it splashed on the arm by hot grease.
unintentionally seems to be, but I. The
subject I must be added.)

Taking the exam, the room was so Taking the exam, Ketti found the room so
stuffy that Ketti almost fainted. stuffy that she almost fainted.
(Who took the exam? The answer is not Or: When Ketti took the exam, the room
room but Ketti. The subject Ketti must be was so stuffy that she almost fainted.
added.)

To impress the interviewer, punctuality To impress the interviewer, you must be

is essential. punctual.
(Who is to impress the interviewer? The Or: For you to impress the interviewer,
answer is not punctuality but you. The punctuality is essential.
subject you must be added.)

Activity 5
Underline the misplaced or dangling modifier in each sentence. Then rewrite the sentence,
placing related words together or adding a logical subject, to make the meaning clear.

1. Kicked carelessly under the bed, Almaz finally found her sneakers.
2. The latest James Bond movie has almost opened in 1,200 theatres across the country.
3. Working at the copying machine, the morning dragged on.
4. Tired and exasperated, the fight we had was inevitable.
5. The newscaster spoke softly into a microphone wearing a bulletproof vest.
6. The tenants left town in a dilapidated old car owing two months’ rent.
7. Sitting at a sidewalk café, all sorts of interesting people passed by.
8. Packed tightly in a tiny can, Hagos had difficulty removing the anchovies.
9. The woman picked up a heavy frying pan with a great difficulty.
10. I discovered an unusual plant in the greenhouse that oozed a milky juice.
6. FAULTY PARALLELISM
Parallelism refers to the repetition of grammatical structure. Parallel constructions are
rhythmic and memorable. In the following examples, notice how parallelism creates a
pleasing rhythm when you say the sentence aloud.

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WORDS: We saw the frogs swimming, jumping, and splashing.
PHRASES: Of the people, for the people
CLAUSES: Do as I say, not as I do

Elements joined by and, or, nor, for, but, yet, or so should be grammatically parallel.

Incorrect: They spent their time praying and work with the poor.
They spent their time praying and working with the poor.
Correct:
Incorrect: There is a great difference between dining out and to have a snack at
home.
Correct:There is a great difference between dining out and having a snack at home.

Activity 7
Find and correct the punctuation problems in the paragraph below. You will need to:
- add eight commas
- delete two commas
- correct one fragment
- correct one comma splice with a semicolon
- correct one run-on sentence
Watching Pets
There are three main kinds of animals that people keep in cages or glass tanks so that
they can watch them: birds reptiles and rodents. Because they are colorful and graceful
to look at. Birds are very popular. In my country, some people have only one big bird in
a cage but others have several small ones fluttering and chirping around in a single cage.
I would never consider having a reptile, such as a snake, in my house, however a friend
of mine has a boa constrictor in a cage, and swears that it is a lovely pet, since it doesn’t
bark doesn’t eat much and never needs to be taken out for a walk. Finally, rodents are
another kind of animal that can be kept in a cage. Rodents are small animals like guinea
pigs gerbils and hamsters they are especially popular with children. If they are treated
properly they can live quite a long time. In short these animals have a fascination for
people who mostly like to watch their pets.

7.SHIFT IN POINT OF VIEW

a) Avoid a shift in tense
Incorrect: The doctor advises us to eat a balanced meal. He said that fruits
and vegetables give us the vitamins we need.
Correct: The doctor advised us to eat a balanced meal. He said that fruits
and vegetables give us the vitamins we need.
b) Avoid a shift in pronouns used in general statements

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Incorrect: You never really know what love is until we experience it
ourselves.
Correct: We never really know what love is until we experience it
ourselves.
Activity 9
Improve the following sentences by correcting shifts in tense or in pronouns.
1. With the freedom of choosing your own classes, college is our best chance to widen
our horizon.
2. As the woman walks toward the store, three young men jumped out and attacked
her.
3. Wherever you are, people should establish some rules in order to live. If not we are
going to have anarchy.

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